Green-Armytage, Stephen 1938-

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Green-Armytage, Stephen 1938-

PERSONAL:

Born March 13, 1938, in England; naturalized U.S. citizen; married; children. Ethnicity: "White." Education: Cambridge University, M.A.

ADDRESSES:

Home—New York, NY. E-mail— [email protected].

CAREER:

Freelance photographer and writer.

MEMBER:

Authors Guild.

WRITINGS:

AUTHOR AND PHOTOGRAPHER

Dudley, Harry N. Abrams (New York, NY), 1999.

Extraordinary Chickens, Harry N. Abrams (New York, NY), 2000.

Extraordinary Pheasants, Harry N. Abrams (New York, NY), 2002.

Extraordinary Pigeons, Harry N. Abrams (New York, NY), 2003.

Extra Extraordinary Chickens, Harry N. Abrams (New York, NY), 2005.

Contributor of photographs to magazines, including Sports Illustrated, Life, Fortune, Smithsonian, Good Housekeeping, American Home, and Ladies' Home Journal.

SIDELIGHTS:

Stephen Green-Armytage told CA: "Most of my career has been spent on freelance photography in three main categories: magazines, advertising (agencies in London, New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco), and corporate annual reports. I started doing books because many magazine projects involved limited coverage, and some subjects deserved book-length treatment. I chose to do the text myself since my research for the photography had already educated me on my subjects."

Green-Armytage added: "I am not aware of being influenced by any particular writer, but I do try to avoid a style that is self conscious. I do not like to draw attention to the writing itself if that distracts from my subject, and I approach photography with the same attitude. I want the subject to be the hero, not me.

"Although I have been writing countless essays throughout my school days, and thousands of letters throughout my life, I have only written professionally for a few years, and only for my books. At first I was surprised at the extent to which editors and copy editors become involved with the details of the text, and a friend of mine who is an international publisher tells me that Britain and the United States are the two countries with the greatest degree of editor involvement.

"The favorite among my own books is my first, a children's story about a Jack Russell Terrier who compensates for his small size by training to become an athlete. The dog was wonderful, the photographs lively and varied, the text both lean and conversational, and the design clean and simple. Publishers and authors need to remain aware of the importance of books as attractive physical objects, something better than the monitor of a computer."